Rich's Corner

Gaining Muscle... 15 Pounds Worth!

When I started my plant based journey nearly 9 months ago, I was about 192-195 pounds. I was trying to gain muscle but my diet was not as good as it could be.

Then I discovered the many vegan bodybuilders online and I began to read Robert Cheeke's book "Shred It!". That changed my whole way of eating and the way I trained. Bodybuilders like Robert Cheese and many others are eating only plant based foods and are definitely getting results.

I am noticing results as well. I know muscle building is a slow process but I'm enjoying the journey. I checked my weight today, and I am now 210 pounds. I know this is not fat weight... most of it has to be muscle. My arms feel a lot stronger and I don't have the loose skin I used to have underneath my arms. The muscle is filling in that gap.

I think I need to eat more calories to build more muscle in my chest and back. Vegans need a lot of calories when they are building ,muscle. This is something the bodybuilders stressed at the NYC Veg Food Fest I attended last week.

Recently, I started to eat chick peas and pumpkin seeds after my workouts. Protein is definitely not a worry with the variety of protein rich foods in plants. Besides, it is very hard to find a person who is deprived of protein in this country... in fact, they would have to be severely restricting their calories to be considered protein deficient.

I've come a long way. When I think of what my step mom said nearly nine months ago when she heard I was plant based, I feel so happy that I proved her wrong and changed her perception. She thought that plant based eaters were "borderline anorexic"! I've been proving this is not the case as I've gained at least 15 pounds of muscle since then.

This lifestyle change was originally a challenge. But I feel so great and love the results, that I couldn't imagine eating animal products again.

About the author

Richard Hubbard was once over 350 pounds. After a doctor's physical and finding out he was pre-hypertensive, he decided to make changes and avoid medication. Over the course of a year, Rich lost the first 120 pounds of his incredible 150 pound weight loss. He ate healthy foods based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live". He was mostly plant based, but switched to completely plant based in September of 2016. He also became a vegan in the process as his compassion for animals increased. He credits bodybuilder Robert Cheeke for influencing his decision of going vegan. Rich aspires to be a vegan bodybuilder and is planning his first half marathon this year.